Stantonbury School Review 2026: Large Milton Keynes secondary with a sixth form

A big, comprehensive secondary in the north of Milton Keynes, Stantonbury is built around the idea that scale should create opportunity rather than anonymity. The site includes specialist spaces for sport, performance and student support, plus a daily enrichment period that extends the working day for many students.

Leadership stability since the academy’s September 2021 relaunch under Tove Learning Trust has brought clearer routines and a more consistent sense of direction, even while outcomes data still shows significant work to do at GCSE and A-level. The most recent inspection, carried out on 23 and 24 January 2024, judged the school Requires improvement overall, with Good for personal development, leadership and management, and sixth form provision.

Scale is the first thing to understand. With capacity for 1,560 pupils and an age range to 19, the day-to-day experience depends heavily on how well systems channel students through the site. The school has deliberately leaned into “small school within a big school” thinking, using year group bases and a renewed house structure to build identity. That matters because a large roll can either widen friendship groups and activity choice, or leave quieter children feeling lost. Formal structures, such as mentoring from sixth form students for younger years, are intended to counter that risk.

The tone is also shaped by the improvement context. Students are described in official evidence as recognising substantial recent improvement, but with behaviour still an area where some families remain cautious. What comes through more clearly is the intent: ambitious aspirations, an inclusive approach for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and visible attempts to strengthen community culture through events and competitions.

Leadership is front and centre. Ben Wilson is listed as principal (Associate Principal) and has been in post from 1 September 2021, which coincides with the school’s current academy structure and trust arrangements. The trust model is not a footnote here. The executive principal (Jim Parker) and trust leadership provide additional capacity and oversight, which is relevant for families weighing momentum and sustainability in a large school with a demanding improvement agenda.

This is a school where the published outcomes data needs to be read alongside trajectory. On the FindMySchool GCSE measures (based on official performance data), the school’s 2024 profile sits below England average overall. Ranked 3,382nd in England and 15th in Milton Keynes for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the position places it in the below-average band nationally.

The underlying indicators reinforce the same message. Attainment 8 is 38.8, while Progress 8 is -0.89, which signals that, on average, pupils’ GCSE progress from prior attainment is substantially behind pupils with similar starting points nationally. EBacc measures also point to a narrow pipeline at present, with an average EBacc APS of 3.25 compared with an England average of 4.08, and 2% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure.

For families, the implication is straightforward. If your child is academically self-driven and well supported at home, there are still strong reasons to consider the school (especially around facilities, breadth and sixth form support). If your child needs consistently high-quality classroom explanation, tight checking of understanding, and rapid intervention when misconceptions appear, it is worth probing how far that consistency has embedded across subjects since the last inspection.

Post-16 outcomes are also below England averages in the current dataset. Ranked 2,499th in England and 10th in Milton Keynes for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the sixth form sits in the below-average band on the FindMySchool measures. Grade distribution shows 0% A*, 4.08% A and 14.29% at A* to B, compared with England averages of 23.6% for A* to A and 47.2% for A* to B. The practical implication is that sixth form students who thrive here are likely to be those who respond well to structure, precise targets, and the support mechanisms the school has put around learning, rather than those relying on naturally high attainment alone.

The curriculum intent is described as ambitious, with clear sequencing of knowledge, and strong examples such as English reading high-quality texts and the use of recall activities to strengthen long-term retention. The challenge is execution consistency. Where teachers break down key ideas clearly, check understanding frequently, and respond to misconceptions, learning sticks. Where these elements are weaker, pupils complete tasks that do not match what they most need next, and progress slows.

Literacy is an important thread for a school serving a wide ability range. Leaders are described as beginning to put reading strategies in place, but with a recognised need for more targeted support for pupils who lack confidence as readers. In a large secondary, this is a make-or-break detail because reading confidence affects access to every subject, not only English.

At sixth form, the picture is more positive in the evidence base. Teaching is described as stronger, with more precise explanations and a more systematic approach to checking students’ learning. The implication for families considering sixth form entry is that academic support may feel more consistent post-16 than it does lower down the school.

University and employment outcomes are mixed, which is typical of a large comprehensive serving a diverse community. For the 2023/24 leavers cohort (77 students), 43% progressed to university, 4% to apprenticeships, 35% into employment, and 1% into further education.

Oxbridge numbers are small but present. Over the measurement period, three applications were made to Oxford and Cambridge combined, and one student secured an Oxbridge place. In context, that points to an emerging top-end pathway rather than an established pipeline, and it will matter most to families whose child is already operating at the highest academic level and wants structured guidance through competitive applications.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated by Milton Keynes City Council rather than handled directly by the school. For September 2026 entry, the published local timeline sets a clear deadline of 31 October 2025 for applications, with national offer notifications on 2 March 2026.

For families trying to judge fit before applying, the school’s pattern is to offer open mornings during October, with specific dates announced on the website a few months beforehand. In practical terms, that suggests planning school visits for early autumn each year, and checking for booking requirements when dates go live.

Sixth form admissions are more direct and date-specific. Applications open in January 2026, with a stated deadline of 13 March 2026, followed by interviews and conditional offers in April and induction in July. Students confirm places around GCSE results day, listed as 20 August 2026 on the sixth form timeline.

Parents comparing competitive local options can use the FindMySchool Map Search to sense-check travel practicality and shortlist schools that are realistic for daily routines, especially in a large city where commuting time can shape attendance and punctuality.

Pastoral provision is unusually tangible here because the school publishes named support spaces as part of its offer. The Wellbeing Centre is positioned as a hub for one-to-one tuition and counselling, and the site also references counselling provision, a Mental Health Support Team, and additional support areas including The Link.

This matters because the school’s improvement agenda explicitly intersects with attendance. Attendance is described in official evidence as too low, but improving gradually through detailed analysis and practical strategies such as mentoring, incentives, and frequent communication with families. For parents, the “so what” is that you should ask how your child would be monitored day-to-day if patterns slip, and what support escalations look like before absence becomes persistent.

Safeguarding is described as effective in the most recent published inspection evidence, which is a key baseline for any family considering a large secondary setting.

This is where the scale advantage is most credible. The day ends with a dedicated enrichment period running 15:15 to 16:15, which signals that clubs and activities are not treated as an optional add-on squeezed into lunch.

Facilities are a genuine differentiator and they are unusually specific. The leisure centre offer includes a 25-metre swimming pool with a dedicated learner area, a seven-court sports hall, an athletics stadium with full track and field facilities (including throws and jumps areas), plus outdoor pitches and tennis courts. For students who engage, this kind of infrastructure widens what “school sport” can mean, from mainstream fixtures to specialist athletics training and water-based activity that many state schools cannot offer on-site.

Creative and technical provision is also signposted as part of the campus identity. Published facilities include a professional theatre, a music centre with recording and editing suite, multiple ICT suites, and a Welcome Centre supporting pupils with English as an additional language and those joining mid-year. The implication is that pupils whose confidence grows through performance, production, or practical technical projects may find more routes to success here than in a smaller school with fewer specialist spaces.

The published school day expects students on site by 08:40, with lessons running through to 15:15 and enrichment continuing to 16:15. Term dates are published clearly, which is useful for working families coordinating childcare and travel across a long academic year.

Because this is a state school, there are no tuition fees. Families should still budget for the usual secondary extras, such as uniform, trips and subject materials, especially if a student takes up optional activities or specialist courses.

• Outcomes remain below England average. The GCSE and A-level profiles in the current dataset sit in the below-average band for England, with Progress 8 at -0.89 and A-level grades below England averages. This is improving-context education rather than a results-led school at present.

• Consistency across classrooms is the key question. The curriculum intent is ambitious, but delivery is not yet consistently strong across subjects. For some children, that is manageable; for others, it is the difference between steady progress and drift.

• Attendance and behaviour culture is still settling. Behaviour is described as generally orderly with improvement, but not yet where leaders want it, and attendance is an ongoing priority. Families should ask what day-to-day routines look like, and how quickly concerns are addressed.

• The site is large, which suits some children far better than others. For confident, sociable pupils, scale can be a major positive. For children who find transitions and busy spaces difficult, it is worth exploring how year bases, support spaces and pastoral oversight work in practice.

Stantonbury is best understood as a large, opportunity-rich comprehensive in an active improvement phase. Facilities and enrichment structures provide genuine breadth, and the trust-backed leadership model has brought clearer direction since September 2021. The limiting factor is still consistency of teaching and outcomes, particularly at GCSE.

Who it suits: families who want a broad, inclusive school with significant sport, performance and support infrastructure, and whose child will respond well to structured expectations and a developing culture. If your priority is already-high examination outcomes across the board, you will want to look closely at current subject-level consistency and the support available where learning gaps appear.